Droid Life » TouchWizhttp://www.droid-life.com
An intense Android news community bringing you the latest in phones, rooting, apps, and reviews.Sat, 01 Aug 2015 18:19:40 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Samsung Reported to Decouple All Bloatware Apps From TouchWizhttp://www.droid-life.com/2015/01/29/samsung-reported-to-decouple-all-bloatware-apps-from-touchwiz/
http://www.droid-life.com/2015/01/29/samsung-reported-to-decouple-all-bloatware-apps-from-touchwiz/#commentsThu, 29 Jan 2015 17:54:03 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=160488Samsung Reported to Decouple All Bloatware Apps From TouchWiz is a post from: Droid Life
]]>According to the latest news regarding the Galaxy S6 from SamMobile, Samsung is set to remove nearly all bloatware apps from TouchWiz, slimming down the system’s weight significantly. However, for those who would still want these apps, they will be made downloadable via Samsung’s app store and possibly Google Play.

On previous versions of the Galaxy S line and Galaxy Note line, Samsung has been known to pump their UI full of software, most of which probably goes unused by users. Because of this, when you buy a Samsung device, your usable memory is nowhere near what is advertised on the box, as apps and software tweaks easily take up a few GB of space.

There are a few apps and features which could most definitely hit the chopping block, such as S Voice, Story Album, and S Translator. But others, which would include flagship apps like S Health, will probably still come preloaded.

We have heard before that Samsung is working to minimize the system’s weight, bringing it down to near Nexus levels. While we will remain optimistic, as the saying goes, we’ll believe it when we see it.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2015/01/29/samsung-reported-to-decouple-all-bloatware-apps-from-touchwiz/feed/152Samsung Reportedly Working to Slim TouchWiz Bloat on Galaxy S6http://www.droid-life.com/2015/01/13/samsung-reportedly-working-to-slim-touchwiz-bloat-on-galaxy-s6/
http://www.droid-life.com/2015/01/13/samsung-reportedly-working-to-slim-touchwiz-bloat-on-galaxy-s6/#commentsTue, 13 Jan 2015 16:41:11 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=159315Samsung Reportedly Working to Slim TouchWiz Bloat on Galaxy S6 is a post from: Droid Life
]]>According to a recent report out of Business Korea, TouchWiz is about to go on a major diet. Samsung’s proprietary Android overlay will lose “unnecessary functions” and “optimize” others, according to the report.

Starting with the Galaxy S6, which is expected to be unveiled around MWC 2015 this March, the TouchWiz development team is aiming to reduce RAM and storage overhead of various TouchWiz components. The ultimate goal, said one industry source, was to “simplify [the] UI at the level of Google’s Nexus 6″; in other words, trim gratuitous fat.

That may be easier said than done. TouchWiz is inarguably bloated, but a few features are more useful than others. Samsung engineers will have to think carefully before excising functionality, or perhaps adopt other OEMs’ model of hosting optional downloads on Google Play.

Whatever the outcome, it sounds as if TouchWiz is finally receiving a trimming after far too long.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2015/01/13/samsung-reportedly-working-to-slim-touchwiz-bloat-on-galaxy-s6/feed/157Newest Video Detailing Lollipop on Galaxy S5 Looks Fast and Smoothhttp://www.droid-life.com/2014/11/21/newest-video-detailing-lollipop-on-galaxy-s5-looks-fast-and-smooth/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/11/21/newest-video-detailing-lollipop-on-galaxy-s5-looks-fast-and-smooth/#commentsFri, 21 Nov 2014 17:54:26 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=156024Newest Video Detailing Lollipop on Galaxy S5 Looks Fast and Smooth is a post from: Droid Life
]]>Another preview of Lollipop running with TouchWiz on the Galaxy S5 has been previewed by the folks at SamMobile, and I gotta tell you, it doesn’t seem all too bad. In this “final build,” it appears Samsung has done a lot of optimizations and performance tweaks, making the entire system look a whole lot faster.

While it still looks like TouchWiz, which isn’t a terrible thing, anything that can speed up performance on a device is a plus in our book. As for what is new in the build, SamMobile claims it is simply a few tweaks and new icons.

We still have no date for when to expect any Lollipop updates from Samsung, but as we can see, they are coming.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2014/11/21/newest-video-detailing-lollipop-on-galaxy-s5-looks-fast-and-smooth/feed/101Lollipop Previewed in Video on Galaxy Note 3, Looks Like TouchWizhttp://www.droid-life.com/2014/11/19/lollipop-galaxy-note-3-video/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/11/19/lollipop-galaxy-note-3-video/#commentsWed, 19 Nov 2014 18:30:08 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=155879Lollipop Previewed in Video on Galaxy Note 3, Looks Like TouchWiz is a post from: Droid Life
]]>After previewing a Lollipop update build on the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S4, the folks at SamMobile are back again this morning, this time showing off Android 5.0 running on the Galaxy Note 3.

Thanks to the previous leaks, we have basically already seen Samsung’s take on TouchWiz running atop Lollipop, and the Galaxy Note 3 appears to be no different. While a few things do look different, the overall design of TouchWiz looks to be untouched.

And correct me if I am wrong, but at about 0:49 into the video and forward, is that jank I see? You can see the user trying to swipe down continuously on the notification bar, but the phone isn’t having it. Thankfully, this is probably just an early build and tweaking the performance is on Samsung’s to-do list. Hopefully.

Last year’s Note device is currently running Android 4.4.4 for most users here in the US, and as of right now, there is no word from Samsung as to when customers should expect to see Lollipop hit their device. Until Samsung gives any type of word, this video will have to keep you busy.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2014/11/19/lollipop-galaxy-note-3-video/feed/172New Video Shows TouchWiz Running on Top of Lollipop, Samsung Trying Its Besthttp://www.droid-life.com/2014/10/31/new-video-shows-touchwiz-running-on-top-of-lollipop-samsung-trying-its-best/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/10/31/new-video-shows-touchwiz-running-on-top-of-lollipop-samsung-trying-its-best/#commentsFri, 31 Oct 2014 17:30:57 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=154163New Video Shows TouchWiz Running on Top of Lollipop, Samsung Trying Its Best is a post from: Droid Life
]]>For many users, TouchWiz, Samsung’s custom skin, leaves much to be desired in the performance and aesthetics department. And sadly, every time Android receives a major update, which brings new design guidelines, we hope TouchWiz receives the same type of makeover, making it more attractive and less processor intensive.

With the Android 5.0 update, the OS is receiving a major makeover from Google, but as we saw previously in a leaked build of the Android L developer preview running on a Galaxy S5, it appeared that Samsung was sticking with TouchWiz’s current state. However, a new video, running what appears to be a full build of Lollipop, shows that Samsung is trying their best to conform to Google’s “standards,” while not compromising the TouchWiz we have known over the past few years.

For example, it is detailed in the video that Samsung has added various touch responses, like a rain drop effect, to a few of the system buttons found on the device. In addition, the OEM has updated many of its applications with Material Design looks, which is a major plus to us.

Give the video a look, then tell us if you think TouchWiz is becoming a bit more swallowable. To us, as long as it runs smoothly and with minimal jank, it’s fine.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2014/10/31/new-video-shows-touchwiz-running-on-top-of-lollipop-samsung-trying-its-best/feed/181Galaxy S5 Reported to Receive Lollipop Update in Decemberhttp://www.droid-life.com/2014/10/24/galaxy-s5-reported-to-receive-lollipop-update-in-december/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/10/24/galaxy-s5-reported-to-receive-lollipop-update-in-december/#commentsFri, 24 Oct 2014 15:40:01 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=153608Galaxy S5 Reported to Receive Lollipop Update in December is a post from: Droid Life
]]>According to sources of SamMobile’s, owners of the Galaxy S5may not have to wait too long to see Android 5.0 hit their devices. As stated by the source, Lollipop should arrive for Samsung’s flagship device in December, but that is no guarantee that it will come to all markets within that time frame, especially when the update would need to be approved by our carriers.

Given how many devices Samsung must focus on in terms of updates, across countless countries, it is no shock that the company is not able to come out and give any hard estimations, unlike HTC and its 90 day promise.

If you do not remember right off, a video of Android L on the Galaxy S5 was shown off not too long ago. Needless to say, it looks a lot like TouchWiz, and not so much Material Design.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2014/10/24/galaxy-s5-reported-to-receive-lollipop-update-in-december/feed/78Galaxy Note 4 Camera Software Info Leaked, Samsung Continues Tradition of Bloatinghttp://www.droid-life.com/2014/08/21/galaxy-note-4-camera-software-info-leaked-samsung-continues-tradition-of-bloating/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/08/21/galaxy-note-4-camera-software-info-leaked-samsung-continues-tradition-of-bloating/#commentsThu, 21 Aug 2014 17:02:00 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=148210Galaxy Note 4 Camera Software Info Leaked, Samsung Continues Tradition of Bloating is a post from: Droid Life
]]>Leading up to any major device launch, we always see a plethora of leaks, which is always fun for us. The newest, posted by SamMobile, gives us a few major details for the camera software that will be baked into the Galaxy Note 4 from Samsung. As a reminder, this device is set to be announced on September 3 at IFA in Berlin, Germany.

Thanks to the detailed leak, we can take note of the different picture and video resolutions Note 4 owners can shoot in, as well as all of the insane camera modes that Samsung has included for the camera. To list just a few, which are not exactly new, Samsung has added in a “Create a GIF” mode, Selfie Alarm, Wide Selfie, and Eraser camera modes.

Sources claim that the Note 4 will feature a 3.7MP front-facing camera, and as for the rear-facing 16MP sensor, it is a Sony IMX240; the same one used in the Galaxy S5 LTE-A variant.

In addition, it appears that Samsung, who is well known for adding in a crap ton of extra camera software on their devices, has included a bunch of different live camera effects which users can choose from. Usually, you can use these effects while taking shots, and are not used as post filters that you apply after a photo is taken.

Finally, sources claim the camera app’s UI is just like the one found on the Galaxy S5, so we should not expect any surprises upon opening the application. But as a twist, it is specified that Samsung will include a “Side Touch” control button to snap shots. For example, with this sensor included, you can tap on the side of the device to act as a shutter button, without the need of a dedicated hardware button. That feature, alongside all of these, would be the coolest addition.

Take a look below for the full list of information that was leaked.

Camera App Settings

Picture Resolutions

16MP (5312×2988 | 16:9)

12MP (3984×2988 | 4:3)

9MP (2976×2976 | 1:1)

8MP (3264×2448 | 4:3)

6MP (3264×1836 | 16:9)

2.4MP (2048×1152 | 16:9)

Video Resolutions

UHD (3840×2160 | 16:9 | 30FPS)

WQHD (2560×1440 | 16:9 | 30FPS)

Full HD (1920×1080 | 16:9 | 30/60FPS)

HD (1280×720 | 16:9 | 15/30/120FPS)

VGA (640×480 | 4:3 | 30FPS)

Camera Modes

Wide Selfie: Take wide-angle selfie shots to fit more people into your pictures.

Selfie: Take selfies easily by smiling or winking without the need to reach for the camera button.

Selfie Alarm: The rear camera will automatically detect and focus on your face when you take self-portrait pictures.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2014/08/21/galaxy-note-4-camera-software-info-leaked-samsung-continues-tradition-of-bloating/feed/226Video: HTC One (M8) Sense 6.0 vs. Galaxy S5 TouchWiz (Basics)http://www.droid-life.com/2014/04/30/video-htc-one-m8-sense-6-0-vs-galaxy-s5-touchwiz-basics/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/04/30/video-htc-one-m8-sense-6-0-vs-galaxy-s5-touchwiz-basics/#commentsWed, 30 Apr 2014 17:41:29 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=138915Video: HTC One (M8) Sense 6.0 vs. Galaxy S5 TouchWiz (Basics) is a post from: Droid Life
]]>Now that we are done with reviews for the Samsung Galaxy S5 (review) and HTC One (M8) (review), we want to continue looking at each in greater detail. We know that just because a phone was released recently, that many of you will have to wait to buy them until your contracts are up or until you have seen and learned enough to make a purchase. With today’s video, we are trying to help you on that path by showing the differences between these two new flagships on a software front. This is a quick comparison between the basics of HTC’s Sense 6.0 and Samsung’s newest version of Touchwiz.

While Samsung and HTC skin Android completely differently in terms of appearance, a portion of their approaches are the same on a functionality front. They both have news aggregators built into their launchers that can be accessed with a swipe to the left (BlinkFeed vs. My Magazine), their cameras are trying to be minimal for the most part, and they even follow some of the same ideas for manipulating home screens.

The rest, though, is on complete opposite spectrums of the design atmosphere. The Samsung settings menu is an overwhelming disaster of almost 40 options, while HTC has stuck with a minimal menu that looks like a tastefully done take on the standard Android settings. Their dialers are also completely different – Samsung’s still fails to adopt swipeable pages, while HTC has fully embraced them. Samsung has actually toned down its lock screen, whereas HTC is packing in more features than ever.

For now, in this video, you will find just the differences in the basics for each phone, since it’s almost impossible to try and compare the enormous amount of extra features in the Galaxy S5 to the minimal amount on the One (M8). If you want to see greater details on their best features, be sure to check out 25+ tips and tricks for the Galaxy S5, plus our 25+ tips and tricks for the One (M8).

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2014/04/30/video-htc-one-m8-sense-6-0-vs-galaxy-s5-touchwiz-basics/feed/49Samsung Gives Us 9 New Topics to Think About for Galaxy S5 Eventhttp://www.droid-life.com/2014/02/11/samsung-gives-us-9-new-topics-to-think-about-for-galaxy-s5-event/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/02/11/samsung-gives-us-9-new-topics-to-think-about-for-galaxy-s5-event/#commentsTue, 11 Feb 2014 16:14:10 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=132018Samsung Gives Us 9 New Topics to Think About for Galaxy S5 Event is a post from: Droid Life
]]>This morning, Samsung posted a revised invite for their February 24 “Unpacked 5″ event with nine icons that represent nine potential topics of focus. The Galaxy S5 is almost guaranteed to be unveiled at the event, but the sales pitch is not something that Samsung has given any hint into until now. The nine icons represent Speed, Outdoor, Curiosity, Fun, Social, Style, Privacy, Fitness and Life.

Over the years, we have seen Samsung dabble in nature themes, include social and fitness apps, push a security suite, include the fastest processors on the planet, and even try to make a phone your life companion. All of those topics are listed again, along with others like curiosity and fun. So in other words, none of these topics are exactly new to the Galaxy line of phones, but they are shown to the fifth power, which could just mean that this is the fifth version of these ideas.

You could also look at these nine icons and assume that they have something to do with a revamped TouchWiz UI. A brand new TouchWiz already seemed like a given before we knew when the Galaxy S5 was coming after getting our hands on Samsung’s new Pro tablets and their own Kit Kat-TouchWiz UI, but maybe this further solidifies the idea.

Oh, Samsung also tossed in a random quote about predicting the future from Niels Bohr who said, “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.”

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2014/02/11/samsung-gives-us-9-new-topics-to-think-about-for-galaxy-s5-event/feed/71Upcoming Samsung “Life Times” App Reportedly Leaks, Looks to Make Virtual Scrapbooking Easyhttp://www.droid-life.com/2014/01/30/upcoming-samsung-life-times-app-reportedly-leaks-looks-to-make-virtual-scrapbooking-easy/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/01/30/upcoming-samsung-life-times-app-reportedly-leaks-looks-to-make-virtual-scrapbooking-easy/#commentsThu, 30 Jan 2014 17:40:08 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=131121Upcoming Samsung “Life Times” App Reportedly Leaks, Looks to Make Virtual Scrapbooking Easy is a post from: Droid Life
]]>It is no secret that Samsung is gearing up for the launch of their Galaxy S5 this year. The Galaxy flagship hardware has headlined Android for years now, but Samsung is still making tweaks on the software front. The latest peek into what we might see from Samsung in the near future is the newly leaked Life Times app that looks to keep your life documented easily.

The good people over at SamMobile came across this app included in a firmware build for a Samsung device with the model number SM-G900H. While they cannot confirm that model relates to the S5, Samsung does have a tradition of announcing new software apps for their new flagships. Life Times is similar to the Story Album application that Samsung already runs, but with a few more capabilities. Life Times gathers your photos and videos and adds them to this virtual diary, but doesn’t stop there. This new application will take note of text messages, phone calls and taps into your social networks as well to tell the whole story, not just images from one source.

This will more than likely be an opt-in service, so Samsung doesn’t have access to all your photos and videos right off the bat.

Do you use Samsung’s Story Album app now? Does Life Times look like something you would use?

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2014/01/30/upcoming-samsung-life-times-app-reportedly-leaks-looks-to-make-virtual-scrapbooking-easy/feed/28New Samsung UI Images Show Contextual Cards, TouchWiz Take on Google Now?http://www.droid-life.com/2014/01/20/new-samsung-ui-images-show-contextual-cards-touchwiz-take-on-google-now/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/01/20/new-samsung-ui-images-show-contextual-cards-touchwiz-take-on-google-now/#commentsMon, 20 Jan 2014 16:55:49 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=130176New Samsung UI Images Show Contextual Cards, TouchWiz Take on Google Now? is a post from: Droid Life
]]>Industry leak-machine, @evleaks, dropped another Samsung home UI image over the weekend that could give us a look at Samsung’s plan to take on Google Now in the near future. The image (found below) shows a card-style UI with contextual information that you may be familiar with if you use Google’s service, though this is much more photo-forward.

As you can see in the image, this appears to be on a phone with the length of the screenshots seemingly giving the impression that the UI will be vertically scrollable. We are seeing cards for controlling home temperature, workouts, favorite team sports scores, flight information, package tracking, dinner reservations, concerts you may be interested in, where your friends are located at the moment, socially shared items from friends, and recent purchases, potentially from using a mobile wallet product. The UI also shows your current location at the top, a G+-like profile image, voice search button, and current weather.

The information is presented cleanly, but not quite as minimal as what you find with Google Now. Each card displays a big beautiful image, while also telling you important information. Again, it appears to be a lot like Google Now, but we don’t know how Samsung will implement it, if they have built a special app for it, or if this will take place of their new Magazine UX on phones. Will it be accessed with a swipe or gesture? Will it work with apps that aren’t Samsung-branded? Is it simply pulling from Google Now somehow?

One thing I will say, is that I like the simple styling of the top portion, with profile picture and search. If Samsung can take that UI and push it throughout to give TouchWiz a full makeover, I could be on board.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2014/01/20/new-samsung-ui-images-show-contextual-cards-touchwiz-take-on-google-now/feed/85Reported Screenshots of Redesigned TouchWiz UI Surface on the Webhttp://www.droid-life.com/2014/01/07/reported-screenshots-of-redesigned-touchwiz-ui-surface-on-the-web/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/01/07/reported-screenshots-of-redesigned-touchwiz-ui-surface-on-the-web/#commentsTue, 07 Jan 2014 16:44:24 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=129219Reported Screenshots of Redesigned TouchWiz UI Surface on the Web is a post from: Droid Life
]]>Early this morning, @evleaks took to his Twitter account to show off a few different screenshots, apparently detailing an upcoming look for Samsung’s TouchWiz UI. While we can’t confirm if this is the move Samsung plans to make for their smartphone UI, we can’t say it looks bad. It actually looks somewhat pretty.

The first thing you might think is that this is Samsung’s look for Kit Kat. Last night, Kellen and I had hands-on time with the new Galaxy NotePro and TabPro tablets from Samsung, each of which runs a revamped version of TouchWiz on top of Kit Kat. That UI didn’t look anything liked these leaked screenshots, as the notification bar actually sported white icons and text, just like stock Android 4.4.

As we can see in these screenshots, Samsung is apparently sticking to the green battery icon for now, as this could be a revamped version of TouchWiz just for smartphones. It would be interesting if the company decided to have two separate versions of their skin for phones and tablets, so we wouldn’t put our money on that idea.

In the pictures, we can see that Samsung has found a new love for flat icons as well, which reminds us of HTC and the release of Sense 5. Either way, these new shots don’t give us much detail, but if this version does come to fruition, we would be sort of happy about it. It’s definitely an improvement over the current look of TouchWiz.

What do you think? Does it look better or worse in your opinion than the current TouchWiz?

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2014/01/07/reported-screenshots-of-redesigned-touchwiz-ui-surface-on-the-web/feed/169New Samsung Tizen 2.1 Screenshots Leak, Still Looks Very TouchWiz-ishhttp://www.droid-life.com/2013/12/19/new-samsung-tizen-2-1-screenshots-leak-still-looks-very-touchwiz-ish/
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/12/19/new-samsung-tizen-2-1-screenshots-leak-still-looks-very-touchwiz-ish/#commentsThu, 19 Dec 2013 19:39:23 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=127859New Samsung Tizen 2.1 Screenshots Leak, Still Looks Very TouchWiz-ish is a post from: Droid Life
]]>Samsung has been hard at work on its Android fork, which has always gone by the name Tizen. Devices launching with this Android-based OS should hit the market sometime in 2014 according to various rumors, and today we are getting another look at what we can expect from the OS. If you are familiar with Samsung’s TouchWiz, then none of these startling images will surprise you.

As you can see, it’s essentially TouchWiz – very white backgrounds and very colorful foregrounds. It appears Samsung has been testing Tizen with a lot of circle icons, which is interesting. Definitely a bit removed from previous squared icons they have opted for in the past on their current OS skins. On top of that, many of these applications, such as a calendar and calculator look a lot like their TouchWiz counterparts, with only the color scheme being changed. If you ask us, we aren’t the biggest fans, but that shouldn’t be a surprise.

It’s definitely a clean looking OS, although that notification pulldown looks extremely cluttered. What do you think?

As if the brand new Galaxy S4 and last year’s best selling phone the Galaxy S3 didn’t already look enough alike, Samsung is looking to make the software as similar as possible as well. SamMobile has a leaked version of the Android 4.2.2 build that Samsung is working on bringing to the S3. Not only does it upgrade your device to the latest version of Android, but many of the new features from the S4 will be included as well.

The list of features that come from the new version of Android and the new TouchWiz is pretty long, but the big features include the new S4 lockscreen, which includes multiple widgets, clock resizing and other nifty features. New S-Voice, settings menu and smart switch widgets have all been added as well. If you are looking for the full list of changes or to install the leak for yourself, hit the source link below for instructions on how to do so.

If you needed a freshening up on what specs the new Galaxy S4 is bringing to the table, this infographic should be just the thing. Samsung placed this beauty on the Samsung Tomorrow page, giving a clean and cute look at each of the S4’s specs including processors, exact dimensions, version of Android, and more.

And for safe measure, they even gave us the colors. I am so all about that black mist.